State redistricting: a primer on the process

MOSES LAKE - Redistricting is redrawing state congressional and legislative districts based on the latest census figures.

The U.S. and state constitutions require redistricting to assure each district has a relatively equal number of people.

The process ideally brings everything into balance, making sure all Washingtonians are represented fairly in the state Legislature and the U.S. Congress.

Until 1983 the Legislature was in charge of redistricting once every decade, a partisan exercise widely seen as divisive. In 1983 Washington voters approved a constitutional amendment giving redistricting authority to an independent commission, which first redrew district boundaries in 1991 and again in 2001.

A new Washington State Redistricting Commission is formed once every ten years in January and is dissolved when the job is done. The commission is composed of five members: two from each majority party - Democratic and Republican - and a non-partisan, non-voting chair. Each House and Senate caucus leader appoints one voting member to the commission and the four commission members in turn appoint the non-voting commission chairperson.

The guidelines to become a commissioner are rigid. Commissioners cannot be current registered lobbyists or former lobbyist within one year prior to appointment. They can't be a current elected official, an elected state, district or county party official or someone who has held such a position for two years before appointment. They also can't campaign for a state legislative office or for U.S. Congress for two years after the new redistricting plan takes effect.

The Washington State Redistricting Commission is now in the process of redistricting both congressional and state legislative districts according to 2010 census numbers.

On the congressional side, reapportionment happens every 10 years to adjust congressional seats among the states so all are fairly represented in the U.S. Congress. The U.S. Constitution requires that the U.S. House of Representatives have 435 seats divided between all 50 states. Each state receives at least one congressional seat and the remaining 385 are divided according to population.

Last year's census counted more than 6.7 million people living in Washington, a population gain meaning the state picks up a 10th congressional seat. The redistricting commission is tasked with drawing the voting boundaries for this new district, which would ideally have 672,454 people to comply with the "equal representation" rule.

At the state level, the Washington constitution requires redistricting in each year ending in one, an update that again correlates with the latest census numbers. The ideal size of each of the state's 49 legislative districts this year would be 137,235, meaning some boundary shifting is destined to take place.

A redistricting plan must be approved by three of the four voting Washington State Redistricting Commission members. After that it becomes final unless amended by the Legislature within 30 days after the beginning of the next regular or special legislative session.

By law, if the Legislature wants to change the commission's plan any new proposal can't affect more than 2 percent of any district's population and must be approved by a two-thirds majority in the house and senate. The Governor can't veto the commission's redistricting plan.

If the redistricting commission fails to meet the deadline for submitting a redistricting plan - Jan. 1, 2012 - the state Supreme Court must prepare a plan by March 1, 2012.